digital coax length?

[basementtheater]

I am sure this one has been discussed before but I could not find it anywhere.

I need to know how long I can run a digital coax cable? For now I need to go between 50ft and 75ft, and may need to run longer lengths in the future. I plan on purchasing cheap, long rca cables through ebay, or somewhere where I can find them CHEAP. I need to know if I am wasting my time and money with a 50 or 75ft cable.

Thanks for your input!
DG

 

[mtrycrafts]

I am sure this one has been discussed before but I could not find it anywhere.

I need to know how long I can run a digital coax cable? For now I need to go between 50ft and 75ft, and may need to run longer lengths in the future. I plan on purchasing cheap, long rca cables through ebay, or somewhere where I can find them CHEAP. I need to know if I am wasting my time and money with a 50 or 75ft cable.

Thanks for your input!
DG

What are you connecting, video or digital audio? Use RG6 type for either as it is low loss. How long may you have to go beyond 75ft?

 

[Jazzwyld]

You'll be fine

Digital Coax can be run if properly shielded about 100ft or will little signal degradation. If you have to run much futher than 100 ft thats fiber optics, may i ask why such a long run?

 

[basementtheater]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone!

The reason for the long run is that I have 8 displays that are located throughout the house. All of the video sources and displays are routed through a Extron 128 HVA (12 input, 8 output audio/video matrix switcher). This allows me to only use 1 or 2 HDTV tuners throughout the entire house instead of paying an extra $5 per month per box, per room for my satelite service. all of the A/V equipment is controlled with Crestron gear, allowing most of the A/V equipment to remain in the basement where the theater is located. However, I am going to put DVD players in some of the rooms upstairs, and will need to rout the digital audio (coax) from the upstairs DVD players downstairs to the matrix switcher and then back upstairs to the reciever that the audio will be played through. Now that I think about it, this will actually require 2 cables approximately 75' each. one for the run from the DVD player to the matrix switch, and another from the matrix switch back to the receiver.

Am I pushing my luck trying to do this?

If you think it can be done, what cable do you recommend? (I am connecting with RCA style connectors)

If this can not happen with a digital coax, I have found these coax to optic converters http://www.trianglecables.com/pof-820.html and I gues I could use these to run long fiber optic runs, if they make fiber optic cables with toslink connectors in 75' or longer lengths. Does anyone know where I can get optical TOSLINK cables at least 75 feet long?

Thanks for the input,

DG

 

[jaxvon]

TOSLINK inputs/outputs are done with a weak LED and are only good for a few meters. At really long length, you'd need something better than TOSLINK. For a digital cable, I'd suggest that you look at buying some bulk coax like Belden 1694A, 1505F, or Canare LV-77S. These are all great RG-6 coax cables and can be had quite cheaply from Westlake Electronic. Just search for them in the bulk cable section. Coax tools aren't too expensive, unless you decide to go with Canare cable and the Canare branded tools (that make coax stripping a breeze). Then all you need are some high-quality Canare RCAPs for your terminations and, if you desire, some shrink tube. You can get all of this from Westlake Electronic.

Just thought of another idea...

Get a digital converter and make that run with AES/EBU. Since it's a balanced cable, you can run it over longer distances with less interference.

 

[Josuah]

Running RG-6 for those lengths should be fine. Used to have lengths equivalent to that going through a couple of A/V matrix switchers just like yours in the Berkeley Multimedia Research Center lab.

 

[basementtheater]

Thanks for the input!

It looks like RG-6 is what I'll run. That Westlake site looks like they have some good stuff.

One more question. I do have at least one source, that only outputs digital audio, through Toslik (optical). Will these $20 toslink to coax converters http://www.trianglecables.com/pof-830.html produce a strong enough signal to run a 50ft - 75ft coax cable to the matrix switcher, and then another 50ft -75 ft coax back from the matrix switch to the display? or will these converters, only work for short runs?

Thanks for your help!

DG

 

[mawst95]

1505F and I think 77S are RG-59, not RG-6 for RG-6 you want Belden 1694A or Canare L-5CFB

 

[jaxvon]

You are indeed correct. Thanks for correcting my mistake.

 

[Cablegirl]

Digital coax distance can be increased up to 120 additional meters with Canare EE-100 Digital Repeater, but the repeater requires power supply.

 

[BMXTRIX]

If you don't already on the 128HV, have you considered using the Crestron matrix switcher that utilized CAT-5 for everything and allows for digital audio over Cat-5 to ridulous lengths? Cabling & labor costs decrease as an offset to the increase in equipment pricing making this effectively less expensive overall. Plus it will integrate seamlessly with your Crestron equipment.

Just a thought.